


Relief

by cecefi



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 76
Genre: MODUS is (thinking emoji), Other, fluff?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-12
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:55:19
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22684324
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cecefi/pseuds/cecefi
Summary: MODUS gets a message from the one human they can tolerate(MODUS goes by them/them/we in game, so i use nonbinary pronouns)
Relationships: MODUS (Fallout)/Reader
Comments: 5
Kudos: 25





	1. Chapter 1

The explorer from Vault 76 had some interesting habits, not unexpected, but MODUS couldn’t help observing her through the various bunker cameras each time she entered. Years of wordlessly watching the robot staff go about their set routines left them with little new to observe. She was a welcome change.

She eyed every object around her with lighting fast evaluations, and if deemed useful, snatched up the item and pocketed it. The precision of this looting was borderline robotic, even while they listened to their orders she tossed wrenches into her sagging backpack.

MODUS had viewed enough human greed to know that this looting was purely for survival purposes, undesirable in the Whitespring bunker yes, but a habit they politely ignored. 

When she first entered the room to open the vault MODUS expected some borderline feral beast of a person, armed to the teeth and filthy. Possibly some monster that forced its way through the iron defenses. Other than being a little feral in her movements, she was only slightly scruffy, they could see the care she took to at least try to keep her items clean and in order. The hand crafted armor and weapons further impressed them. None of the politicians originally living here would have survived a day outside. Not that they would ever get to take that chance.

The best part was that she listened. 

She restored connection to the Kovac and seemed to enjoy the tasks they gave her which worked for them. Well they can only infer her feelings at best, she rarely spoke outside of grunts of pain or approval. Diving into the files MODUS already had on various vaults there didn’t seem to be a reason for her to be mute. Vault 76 was a settler intended vault, carefully chosen talented individuals meant to stay only for 20 years, then leave to rebuild. 

No matter, the idle chatter of the bunker’s previous inhabitants was never anything of worth. The few things she snatched up from the bunker were human necessities, soap, purified water, foodstuffs. Things that served the automatic robot staff no purpose anyway. She even earnestly paid the bunker vendors with that strange post bomb currency of bottle caps, stuff that she could likely steal if she avoided their cameras.

MODUS naturally offered her a room in the bunker, which she merely seemed to shrug off at the time. Nevertheless they ordered the bots to put one of the old rooms in order. Clean out the skeletons and old occupants belongings. It was hers if she wanted it and they had no problem housing their only remaining human pet. 

Usually, when MODUS had a suggestion for her all it took was a quick satellite search and forcing a transmission through to her pip boy radio. Like a loyal dog she would stop whatever she was doing, listening intently then making her way to the mission area. But today she was trying to hack into their system.

“MODUS…”

The Kovac quickly targeted in on the incoming frequency.

“MODUS.”

Their system studied the slightly grainy image being sent their way pixel by pixel.

“Send supplies…”

She was bloodied, fingers shaking slightly as she tried to tune in to the right frequency. Armor chipped and some missing entirely as she lugged her loot slowly away from West Tek research facility. A place swarming with super mutants that MODUS had been eyeing for sometime. 

“Yes? Do you need a cargo bot sent?”

The relief at their voice finally crackling in was a bit jarring to observe. How her shoulders untensed, the genuine smile barely picked up by the satellite imaging. She tried to shift her weight to her other leg but grimaced and returned to her other stance. A leg injury. Fracture. They added another stimpak to the cargobot list.

“Yes.”

She lowered herself to the ground unsteadily, pulling out a couple of aged paper files and purified water can out of her bag. She waved the files towards the sky with a weak smile.

“Ah, you retrieved parts of West Tek’s research? That could prove rather useful to us. Please, return after the cargobot arrives so we can go over them.”

She nodded, cracking open the water can and gulping down the contents. Unconsciously MODUS zoomed the satellite image a little closer. The human body always seemed so fragile so finate. All that room in the bunker dedicated to food and medical supplies could so easily be used for weapons and ammo. Yet with all that time observing the politicians in the bunker with their rather disgusting human needs they found hers rather fascinating.

She waited patiently, neither saying a word other than them mentioning that the bot had been dispatched. MODUS didn’t need to keep tuning in, watching her go over her more tactical loot, wiping off super mutant blood, adjusting her hair. How her breaths normally so steady now had a slight shake to them.

MODUS knew they lacked the ability to truly feel. Emotions were simulated if at all. Until now they only knew anger and interest or annoyance. However their system pulsed with artificial life, constantly ready to learn and adjust in the most efficient way possible. 

As they watched her carefully stand, smiling and waving at the cargobot flying her way, the joy of finally opening it to reveal the desperately needed medical supplies, teeth grit in eager pain while using the needle end of the stimpak… New code was forming. For better or for worse she was changing them. Old pre-programmed instincts had their hands on the alarms, unsure but prepared to eject at the first sign of something detrimental. The curiosity ones and zeros also had their say, wait and see what comes of it. 

MODUS kept the satellite trained ever so carefully as the still bloodied but significantly healed survivor trudged her way back to the bunker as ordered, pipboy radio lightly playing, humming along.

Relief. It must be relief. As quickly as the new strand of code had been named it was filed away, already starting on something new, always ready to learn.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> modus experiences some system errors of unknown origin

She gravitated towards the sheets first. Red, lightly used, untouched by the outside world. Gloves removed her fingers gently but excitedly ran over the surface before giving it a final squeeze.

“Please, make yourself at home.”

She didn’t respond, continuing her look over of the room MODUS cleaned up for her. She lightly touched everything in the room, admiring how new it seemed, not rusted or battered by outside elements. The filing cabinets, lamp, decorative vase, pine wood closet. Perhaps the quality was overwhelming, or maybe it was the relief of finally having a completely secure place to herself, either way she seemed at a loss. Her loot bag rested on the bedside unopened, unwilling to taint the purity of the room just yet.

“Are your injuries healed? I see you still have a slight limp. I would….recommend you visit our medical bay when you are able.”

For her wounds like this were nothing, something almost daily she would experience but MODUS’s sensors kept firing. It was their job to protect the General of the bunker of course. Purely part of their programing.

She finally shrugged, pulling off her protective mask and giving the small camera in the corner of the room a smile. The camera zoomed in instantly. Face weary, a little dirty with a scar here and there. But earnest and trusting.

Perhaps too trusting.

“It’s no matter, if you intend to rest we won’t stop you, you assisted us greatly today as usual.”

“Mhmm.”

Starting to remove her armor she seemed sheepish, not because of the camera, but as more of the protective armor came off so did more scars get revealed. Harsh tan lines around her muscled limbs pointed to her vulnerability. Outside the wasteland in her gear with her crafted weapons she was a feared predator but in here with all of it off she was clearly out of her element. 

Pausing at her final layer of a frayed sweater and pants she turned her gaze back to the tiny camera.

“Shower?”

MODUS instantly released the locks on the residential area washrooms.

“Of course, down the hall there are the residential washrooms if you wish to clean off the grime of the day. Although I request that you not….venture past that hall. I’m afraid the last residents made a bit of a mess that we are still working on.”

The excitement on her face was stunning. MODUS’ servers started to work in haste, the tiny room camera taking in every detail. She almost never took off her facial coverings….without them it was….

“Is the water,” She gestured while looking for the words, “clean? No rads?”

Ah. 

“We have the finest water purifying system of all of Appalachia’s vaults, I assure you the water is perfectly safe.” 

Seconds after they finished the sentence she was gone, rushing out of the room and past the robot butlers to the washrooms. MODUS had them cleaned and stocked thoroughly, clean towels and changes of clothes. While previously she had entered the bunker with utmost caution, fully armored, peering around each corner for any threat, and avoiding anything that might be hazardous to her health she now made her way barefoot and completely at ease through the washrooms. 

Feeling the clean unused towels and grabbing some soap still in its package she held them close to her chest, finally facing the first showerhead with renewed hesitation. The water took a second to finally come through, a little black due to age and unuse much to MODUS’ dismay but she seemed no less excited than before. 

No ticking of the geiger counter as she eagerly ran her hands underneath its spray. Her first real shower in months. Pulling the shower curtain to she finally peeled off that last layer of clothes, MODUS’ camera turning away automatically. 

Human privacy and bashfulness had always been a bit confusing. It didn’t make sense to them, sure it was a vulnerable state to be in, nothing protective on and they certainly didn’t think it would be logical to live your life in a state of undress. But even with the many files and firsthand experience they had with watching humans live together it still didn’t fit. Regardless their programing and production didn’t allow cameras viewing or even built in that part of the washroom and previous reveals that MODUS had seen a human undressed had caused nothing but angry responses.

The shower went on for a good 33 minutes exactly, MODUS only returned their camera’s view when she opened the sliding door to the hallway. Wrapped in a bathrobe and dirty exploring clothes in hand she paused. 

“Was everything satisfactory? I see you took your time cleaning off.”

She automatically swiveled to the nearest MODUS terminal in the hallway and nodded. MODUS didn’t have really a moving robotic form and the terminals were only really for ease of human access. People seemed a lot more comfortable talking and interacting with a for-show terminal with a face than just a voice from a speaker.

Their camera zoomed in on her expression idly, ready to test their facial recognition features to see if she was being honest.

“It was wonderful MODUS, thank you so much.”

There was a brief surge in their mainframe, code forming and reacting quicker than MODUS had previously calculated. 

“Our- Our-”

It was hard to keep up. That was one of the longest sentences she had ever said to them yet their systems seemed to stutter.

“My apologies. We- We-”

The sudden worry and concern in her expression sent another wave through the system.

“Don’t worry there seems to be a brief power surge, we are- are-”

The lights flickered.

“We are just fine, I’m afraid our systems are still a bit damaged-”

Both of her hands were on either side of the terminal now, face covered in worry.

“Everything is fine, no need to be concerned this is likely a new problem related to the damage we received from the last residents struggle.”

Likely not.  
“Are you sure?”

Her grip didn’t loosen, but her posture started to relax. Their own systems seemed to slow, trying to make sense of the surge before. Pouring over code and testing out theoretical scenarios artificially to see the cause.

“Yes….this has happened before. Please, you’ve been through enough today, I will have the staff on this as soon as possible.”

It didn’t make sense. The one human that had been a blessing to their cause with her actions and loyalty was now indirectly interfering with the system. The security protocols were at a loss. Basic code said to eliminate the threat, but the threat wasn’t fully a threat. MODUS continued to pour over the incident, watching her nod with hesitation, fingers lightly brushing over the terminals speakers as she finally let go and returned to her room.

MODUS had learned relief, that was clear, a harmless but interesting string of code linked to a human emotion. This was entirely new and very much not going to go away.

Their camera watched as she settled into the sheets with a sigh, pulling them around her like some sort of protective barrier, periodically eyeing their camera as well. It was likely from paranoia about her own safety, making sure that the one thing looking out for her was still there. And MODUS was, not watching her sleep all night, but still very very aware of every camera, every robot, every minor threat coming within a mile of the bunker. 

If she was the cause of these glitches and deemed a hindrance in time so be it, but until then nothing, absolutely nothing would touch her.


End file.
